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IWPC and Army Corps begin feasibility study process to evaluate storage options for post‑Potter Valley diversions
Summary
IWPC announced it has executed a feasibility cost-sharing agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Lytton Rancheria to study water-storage options — including a possible Lake Mendocino raise and other storage alternatives — and described funding, schedule and decision points for a multi-year study.
The Interagency Water and Power Commission (IWPC) told participating boards it has started a feasibility study with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate water‑storage options that would make diversions from the Eel-to-Russian River transfer more reliable.
Why it matters: Consultants and the Corps say storage — local reservoirs, a Lake Mendocino raise or other alternatives — is a key missing piece if the region intends to increase average annual diversions substantially after the Potter Valley project is decommissioned. Without additional storage, consultants warned, pumped water may be released to Lake Mendocino and then spill, reducing the practical amount of water that can be put to beneficial use.
What was announced: Eric Nagy, a water-resources consultant working with IWPC, said IWPC and the Lytton Rancheria have executed a feasibility cost-sharing agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and that Congress provided an initial federal appropriation of about $500,000 in federal fiscal year 2024. Nagy said Lytton Rancheria’s participation…
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